Like Marco Polo

Not everyone has it in them to lead the kind of life Mahsa Dehghan has. This Design Institute of San Diego freshman from Iran has lived in Germany and has already acquired a Masters Degree in Architectural Engineering from a school in Budapest. In addition to all of this world experience under her belt (all at the tender age of 27), she has settled into San Diego to pursue a degree in interior design.

"Everybody thinks that America is the land of opportunity so that was the reason that I moved here," Mahsa shares regarding her decision to continue with her education. A couple of years ago, she visited a relative in San Diego, "to see if I liked it or not," says Mahsa. "I really liked it." Her initial visit lasted for six months. Once she returned to Europe, she immediately applied for a Student Visa and came back to the U.S. later that year.

While researching schools in California, Mahsa was determined to find the right school for her. After checking out the design programs at San Diego State University, Miramar College and even UCSD's PhD programs, she chose to come to DISD because of its specialized interior design program. "[This school is] really into design. I'm [already] an architect. I just want to know how to design inside and how to relate furniture together," she explains.

Life at DISD has been wonderful for this international student so far. She has fully enjoyed her first four classes, especially Quick Sketch with instructor Ann Parker. "I love that class!" she exclaims. "My perspective was never good. And now, I'm learning the tricks and how to make it better...how to improve myself." She was pleasantly surprised to find several other international students around campus, putting her at greater ease as she got used to her surroundings.

Having the support of her family, who are still in Germany, means a lot to Mahsa. "Maybe it's not something that I have to be proud of, but I have never worked in my life," she admits. "My parents said, 'the only thing I want from you is to just study and focus on your university,' so they were always supporting me in everything." This same philosophy applied to Mahsa's siblings as well, with an older sister who is a doctor and a younger brother studying to become a dentist.

Knowing that education means so much to Mahsa's parents, one might conclude that they persuaded her to continue studying even after receiving a Masters Degree, but she says that was a decision she made completely on her own. It is apparent that she is a natural go-getter; someone who is always ready to test her own limits. "I'm like Marco Polo - I've been everywhere! People are always telling me, 'It's time to get married! It's time to relax!' Well, I guess it's my personality. I like challenges. I just want to say, 'Okay, I can do that. Why not?'"

Mahsa understands that the degree and hands-on experience are both key to becoming a successful interior designer and is eager to find an internship while at DISD. She is also aware of how hard she has been working in her young life and is ready to complete her time as a student and to move onto other life goals. "I just can’t wait to graduate!" she says, beaming, "and settle down in my life here." Given her history, even with plans of settling down upon graduation, we're sure she'll hit the ground running.